WAUSAU - Summertime in Northern and Central Wisconsin means time spent on the water. That usually means time on a boat for fishing or just for leisure. Another popular way to enjoy the water is in a kayak. And Wausau offers one of the best locations for it.

"It's really just enjoyable to be out on the water and you're always learning," said Whitecap Kayak Neal Schroeter.

Thanks to Whitecap Kayak, learning the ropes of whitewater kayaking is better than ever. Schroeter started the company 12 years ago to teach young people about the sport.

"As they learn, then we have them help instruct and lead trips," said Schroeter.

Most of those trips are on sea kayaks on Lake Superior, but Schroeter and his team use their expertise to teach lessons at the Wausau Whitewater complex located on the Wisconsin River.

"They open up the dam, and you've got whitewater from 9:00 in the morning until 4:30 in the afternoon, Saturday and Sunday," said Neal.

This was the first of two weekends this summer that Whitecap Kayak will host lessons in Wausau. Those lessons are split into three different levels so that beginners can spend time just getting used to their boats.

"People will learn some basic things on how to sit in the boat, how to hold their paddle, how to get out of the boat," said Schroeter.

Once the basics are covered comes what many consider to be the hardest part.

"A really fearful thing is just that first tipping over," said Schroeter.

But before long, those very same beginners can start at the top, and turn, tumble, and speed all the way down the rapids.

"Some of our former students are paddling circles around me. They're on the course doing flips in the air and everything, and they're really good at it," said Schroeter.

But for Schroeter, he enjoys teaching students more than just kayaking skills.

"They have learned some really good life skills in how to relate to people, and how to communicate, and how to lead," said Schroeter.

If you're thinking about trying whitewater kayaking for the first time, Schroeter says start slow and go from there.

"It's not just about getting on the river and crashing down and surviving," said Schroeter.

Registration is open for the next weekend of lessons with Whitecap Kayak. For more information, you can click on the link below.

PELICAN LAKE - Tribal members from across Wisconsin held a Deep Winter Camp to pass on parts of their cultures.Members from several different tribes wanted to give kids the chance to experience a piece of their culture.They hope the camp encourages younger members to keep traditions going and never forget where they came from. "They're going to be the next teachers they're good kids and we all love every kid that came here and spent time with us. They all learned something and they'll take it back and teach others," said Lac du Flambeau Band Vice Chairman John Johnson Sr.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice released the results of its investigation in the case, and Simono's decision, Friday afternoon.

The DOJ documents detail how Cude swung a shotgun at Justice at close range. The deputy had just learned Cude had felony warrants against him, and Justice was trying to arrest Cude. Justice fired four shots on the scene, a rural road south of Crandon.

"He didn't get a shot off?" a fellow officer asked Justice after the shooting.

"No. He tried, though. Pulled that sucker out and pointed it right at me," Justice replied in an exchange recorded on a body camera.

EAGLE RIVER - Vilas County officers can now respond to active shooter calls better prepared.

All deputies and patrol offices now have access to steel-plated body armor, something only the Vilas County SWAT Team had before.

"We want to make sure our staff are fully protected," said Vilas County Sheriff's Office Captain Gerard Ritter. "I never want to see anything happen to any one of my staff. And we should outfit them with the protection they need."

Before the new body armor, Ritter said officers and deputies only had access to soft body armor.

"The weave material is designed to stop or slow down a projectile," said Ritter.

Officers will still wear the soft-bodied armor every day, but in active shooter situations, officers can now essentially double up on protection, protection once only offered to the SWAT Team.

"There has been an increase in active shooter incidences across the United States," said Ritter.

RHINELANDER - Police think an Oneida County man downloaded hundreds of pornographic pictures of young girls using a private chatroom.

During Danial Smith's preliminary hearing Friday, Smith's attorney asked if police had any way of knowing it was his client who downloaded the more than 700 photos.

The state Department of Justice learned a computer near Rhinelander downloaded the pictures in late 2016 thanks to a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The internet protocol (IP) addresses from the downloads were linked to Smith's home on County C in the town of Stella.

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